Here is a recipe I had been wanting to make for a while, I just could not imagine what tomato pie would taste like. So I used some of my great tomatoes I got from the Amish and made the pie yesterday. I am not a big tomato lover so I was actually pleasantly surprised with the pie. It would make a great lunch dish with a pretty salad on the side. I would only make it when you could get really good tomatoes, those awful cardboard tasting things they sell in the winter would not do.

You can make a crust or use a frozen one, it’s up to you. I think it would be interesting to chop up some fresh herbs into the crust and will try that next time. I also think this would be good made on a cookie sheet and cut into tiny squares as an appetizer. To peel the tomatoes immerse them in boiling water for 30 - 45 seconds. The skins will slip right off using a paring knife. After I made this recipe I saw one that called for drizzling olive oil over the tomatoes instead of using the mayonnaise, I am going to try that next time.

Tomato Onion Cheddar Pie

1 9″ pie crust, prepared but not baked
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Cayenne pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
Salt and pepper
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
8-10 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
6 scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out pie crust and sprinkle with parmesan and cayenne. Cover crust with a sheet of wax paper and press cheese and cayenne into crust by hand or with a rolling pin. Place pie crust into a 9 inch pie plate and crimp edges.

In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil and salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese in bottom. Top with 1/3 of the tomatoes and scallions. Sprinkle with more cheese and drizzle on 1/3 of mayonnaise mixture. Continue to layer tomatoes, scallions, cheese and mayonnaise and finish with cheese on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until crust is golden and pie is bubbly. Allow pie to cool for 30 minutes. The pie will be easier to slice when it has completely cooled.

We left on Saturday morning heading out for Lawrenceburg County in TN., Ethridge to be specific, armed with our map of where the homes were that sold vegetables, jams, peanut brittle and so much more. It was easy to tell what they had for sale because out by their mailboxes on the road were signs showing what they had to sell that day. Our first stop was at a house where we bought 5 dozen ears of corn for $2.00 a dozen! It was the best corn I have had in years. While we were there the farmer hooked up his belgian horse to a big box with skids on the bottom and went off to pick more corn with his little girl on the back of the horse.

We stopped at the next farm where I was able to get some canning tomatoes that were just gorgeous from which I made some of my grandmothers Chili Sauce yesterday. I got a half bushel of the prettiest red tomatoes. All of the Amish families basically set their front porch up as a store, there are rows of vegetables, cupboards full of jams and jellies and candies. We even saw lye soap at one. I just loved all of the neatly cared for vegetable gardens in front of their homes.

Moving on down the road we pulled into another farm where a barefoot boy of about 10 was standing at the vegetable table with a golden watermelon and a knife, eating it as fast as he could cut that juicy melon. Needless to say we bought one of those also for $1.50! He could of been a commercial for the watermelon board.

We spent about 3 hours going to different farms, and also brought home new baby potatoes, 10 lbs. of green beans for the freezer, some pole beans and a couple of heritage tomatoes. One of the last homes we drove by had the tallest corn I have ever seen. It was at least 8 ft. tall. It had started to cloud up a little as rain was on the way when I took the picture so it is a little dark.

Next we came to a little restaurant that had the best southern cooking. Lunch was served buffet style and there was fried chicken, green fried tomatoes, beans and cornbread, salads, and lusicious raspberry cobbler with ice cream. It was $15.00 for the both of us. The restaurant is behind a craft market on Hwy. 64.

All and all a very pleasant way to spend the day!

Chili Sauce

1 peck tomatoes
2 C. vinegar
2 C. ground onions
2 C. ground green peppers
2 C. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1 t. cayenne
2 T. salt

Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium. Cook until it thickens. This will take about 4 hours, stir often to keep from sticking. You can either can or freeze the chili sauce.

Makes about 7 pints.

A peck of tomatoes is about 10 - 12 lbs. of tomatoes or 1/4 of a bushel.

Note: Right after I wrote this I got an email from Dove of the Clean Food Network letting me know that most Amish farmers spray heavily. Like some people, I assumed that they did not spray and did things organically. She said it is good to ask each farmer you are going to buy from what his practices are if this is of concern to you.

This is an easy recipe for Chicken and Pea Pods. Cut up all the vegetables you will be using. I used pea pods, garlic scapes, celery, mushrooms and carrots. I got the pea pods and garlic scapes from the clean food network. I had never used garlic scapes before but they are wonderful! They are the top part of the garlic bulb that is cut just before it flowers. They have a mild garlic flavor. In place of them you can use garlic and green onions if you desire.

Chicken and Pea Pods

1/2 lb. chicken breast cut into strips
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
pepper

After you cut the chicken into strips mix the corn starch, soy sauce and pepper together and mix into the chicken. Set aside while you chop up the vegetables.

1/2 lb. pea pods - remove strings if necessary
3 carrots peeled and cut into circles
1/2 lb. mushrooms
garlic scapes
additional garlic if you desire
1/2 cup celery or bok choy

oil for sauteeing

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

Mix together and set aside.

Add some oil to the pan. Saute the chicken in a pan until cooked throughout over high heat. This will only take several minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate and set aside while you saute the vegetables.

Add a little more oil if needed to the pan. Add the garlic scapes, carrots, mushrooms and celery. Saute until tender crisp. Stir in pea pods and cover the pan with a lid for about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken and add sauce. Stir while adding the sauce. As soon as it is thickened it is done.

Serve over rice.